Joe Maddon ?

Mmmmm..... If you're one of their few fans, that is not good news.  The Rays are not a happy franchise.  

Boom.   The Rays GM and organizational architect left, the Team President is now acting GM, their Head Coach just resigned,  their average home attendance is the MLB lowest, and their stadium & field is the absolute worst.  I'm thinking things can only get better from here......

 

Well, I guess this is one possible way the Red Sox can move out of the MLB AL East basement in 2015.

 

 

I am thinking Donnie is a bit more nervous now....... 

Love Joe's style and its sad to see the end of an era in Tampa. Along with some shrewd strategic decisions regarding his players he always seemed to get the most out of them. Sure he played the numbers, but he also knew to let the players relax and be themselves. Will be really interesting to see what he does with a club with a payroll. Can't say where he will land for certain but they will definitely have more money to spend on players than Tampa. Consider the names for a second: Dan Johnson, Jason Bartlett, Dioner Navarro, Luke Scott, Carlos Pena, even BJ Upton. Dude got productivity out of people hardly anyone else could.

Prediction: Maddon does TV for a year. If the Dodgers don't go to the World series next year he's hired as manager. For anyone who isn't aware the Dodgers hired the head of baseball ops away from the Rays last week.

It will be sad not seeing Joe in the Rays dugout. Loved his unorthodox style of managing, he and Friedman were great together. Hope the Rays will now look at Dave Martinez as our next manager. Scary thing is, if Joe and Friedman could keep the Rays competitive al these years with a low payroll, how good a team can they build with unlimited money ?

That's my guess.  My assumption is someone like Joe Maddon wouldn't resign unless he had something in place.  Theo Epstein in Chicago could be another place.  It wouldn't surprise me if Detroit were in the mix as well.  I am guessing LA Dodgers however, because of Friedman.

Come on now...our attendance is low...but our stadium is not that bad.  Very sad to to hear he is leaving, he has pulled off some unbelievable seasons with his given payroll.  The Rays have produced some great pitchers and have developed some great young talent.

 

I do believe the Rays will move to a more central location to the Tampa Bay area though, due to the attendance issue.  Maddon will be missed for sure!

 

 

And the Sox will never get out of the AL East basement.......hopefully!(jk)

I know people don't like the trop. I don't think it's that bad.i kind of like it actually.I like being able to park and get a good seat for short money.But my everyday field is Fenway, everything is a hundred bucks,or it feels like it.

 

I like the Rays,we had a local boy play for them (Sam Fuld) so that made it fun to watch.like Francona, Maddon will land on his feet. Like he said,first time in his life his next job is his decision.gotta love that.

See ClevelandDad's comments about Detroit.   That was one of my first thoughts beyond the obvious of following Friedman to LA.  He could become a "God" if he did anything for the Cubs.

 

Absolutely. if Ausmus can't get that train on the tracks.  Too much paper talent and payroll on that team not to be playing into late October.

You've got to get out more.   The Trop is a dump.   Been there and been to just about every other MLB stadium (except Seattle and 2 others).....trust me the Trop is a dump.   No doubt the guy is a very good manager.  He's of the same ilk as Francona.  I still love Francona....almost a man crush.   The Rays will end up in either Charlotte, Norfolk or Las Vegas.  They can't stay there.

 

Only God could do anything for the Cubs.  They're cursed.   

As to the timing, my guess is there was a deadline in his contract that he had to observe. Maddon is not the type to try to upstage the WS.

 

Beyond that, there's nothing unusual here.  Just like a player would, he looked at his contract and decided he'd do better on the open market than just letting it roll into the next year.

 

BTW, don't rule out that he might yet return.  If the Rays make the best offer, they might yet keep him.  But they'll have to bid for him, because you have to expect there'll be a handful of teams, if not more, willing to throw a long term deal with lots of cash at him.

CBS Sports is reporting Maddon is likely headed for the Cubs. They said the Cubs have the money to eat the last two years of Renteria's contract.

I agree, he is headed to Chicago.

Not Detroit, he isn't suited for veteran players.  Ausmus was in a bad situation, you cant blame him for injuries. 

I am not seeing how owners can fire managers that have gotten their team to the post season or division titles.  At some point the players have to be held accountable as well. 

 

Watch for the curse of Mattingly when he leaves, the Dodgers will win the World Series.

 

I'd have to think that the Cubs could be the better job in less than 2 years compared to the Tigers.  The Cubs will have deeper pockets in the long run and have made the commitment to build the kind of farm system that could make it a top job for a long time.  There is a big pile of young players pushing to make it to the majors.

 

The Cubs of 2016 could be the Royals of 2014 if just a few of the farm teams players work out.  The Tigers are a veteran team with no bullpen to speak off that could fall off the cliff all of a sudden.  They have been very good for the better part of a decade and the key players are aging.